This new Indiana University student enters as a junior thanks to Ivy Tech ASAP Program

When 20 year-old Keeley Price first enrolled in Ivy Tech’s ASAP Program last year, she was worried about missing out on the social experiences of a conventional four-year degree.

Now, as a newly minted Ivy Tech alumna set to begin as a junior at Indiana University in August, Price is worried about the community that she’s leaving behind.

“I honestly met all my best friends through that cohort,” Price said. “We were all together, every day, for 11 months, and now we’re going to different colleges, so I’m not going to see them for months. I’m definitely going to miss that close-knit community the most."

Price graduated on May 10 with Bloomington Ivy Tech’s ninth ASAP Program cohort, a group of approximately 30 to 40 recent high school graduates (aged 18-22) who learn, study and work together to earn their associate degree in just five eight-week terms. After the program, approximately 98% of students, like Price, continue on to a four-year institution, or pursue a second associate degree.

“We’re genuinely a family within this team, and we’re so proud of our ASAP students and all that they’ve done,” said Jennifer Rusk, director of accelerated programs and admissions at Ivy Tech Bloomington.

Ivy Tech ASAP Program offers accelerated associate degree

Rusk says the ASAP Program was designed to help recent high school graduates earn an associate degree in less than a year, an accelerated pace for a degree that’s usually earned in approximately four years, according to the nonprofit Campaign for College Opportunity.

“The reason that it’s accelerated is because working adults will sometimes take four to 10 years to earn their associate degree,” Rusk said. “So we help them to do it ‘on time,’ as far as academic circles.”

The ASAP Program’s cohorts take cohort-exclusive classes together, meet weekly for team-building and career-learning opportunities, and study collaboratively as they push to complete their degrees within the accelerated time frame.

Price said the structure of the program helped to motivate her as she pursued as many as 18 credit hours per term while also working a part-time job.

“It really helped knowing you weren’t alone,” Price said. “I think that was one of the biggest things that got me through the program, was having other people right there with me.”

Community through cohorts

The ASAP Program launched in 2014 and will begin its 10th cohort this summer. Rusk, who helped to launch the program after stepping into Ivy Tech’s admissions department in 2013, said the program’s success led to Ivy Tech launching the partner program, Ivy Accelerate, in 2021.

The Accelerate Program, which is open to adults of all ages, helps working adults earn a long-term certificate or associate degree in one to two years, respectively. Rusk says in the Accelerate Program, as with the ASAP Program, it’s the cohort that makes the difference for students.

“What we were hearing from working adults was that they really wanted to be cohorted,” Rusk said. “It really helps to be mentored, and to have a community – someone who keeps tabs on them.”

In the years since ASAP first launched, it’s been expanded to 11 Ivy Tech campuses across Indiana, and currently boasts a 100% acceptance rate for graduates who apply to four-year institutions.

Many, like Price, go on to IU Bloomington, while others have pursued IU Online or transferred to out-of-state colleges. Price says as she transitions to IU, she plans to maintain her friendships with other cohort members who are also coming to the Bloomington campus.

“I told them, ‘We’re going to have to get lunch and breakfast and hang out on campus,’” Price said. “I hope we maintain that community at IU.”

Building career skills

After earning her general studies associate degree at Ivy Tech, Price plans to earn her bachelor’s in psychology or social work from IU.

“My dad is a social worker here in Bloomington, so I’ve always been interested in that,” Price said. “I just love psychology, and I really want to do something in that field.”

In addition to taking general education classes at Ivy Tech, Price says she was able to expand her knowledge of psychology – her first introduction was an online class she took at 16 – with courses like social psychology, abnormal psychology and lifespan development.

Rusk says one of the highlights of the ASAP Program is connecting students with classes that match their interests, across Ivy Tech’s more than 70 programs.

“Our students are taking a lot of classes that we know will transfer to a four-year college; your math, English, history, psychology,” Rusk said. “But we also get them to take some additional classes that we’ve built with their specific interests, so they have options like earth science, or advanced psychology or an economics class.”

Price says her time at Ivy Tech has also helped to prepare her for college at a four-year institution.

“It’s so beneficial if you’re going somewhere later. It saves you so much money, and it’s such an easier transition into college life,” Price said. “I was very scared of going to IU as a freshman, but I feel like I have so much more stability and established skills going into it now.”

Reach Brian Rosenzweig atbrian@heraldt.com. Follow him on Twitter/X at@brianwritesnews.